Insufferable Flames
by Fogfox
Summary: ch.8 up Max escapes and returns to Seattle, characters' paths intertwine or ..collide head on and feline biology intervenes ahem.. or has its say . AU, set after S1 no S2 . MLish Takes place aft. some time has passed so some untapped char. in the mix
1. Default Chapter Intro

a/n: Okay yes Im back and im finishing the story. This used to be called Back, so you might have already read the early chapters already (but they're better, cause now i can actually write). Ive gone through everything and im sorry, but you're gonna have to put up with some minor corn and a little amature writing in the first 3 or 4 chapters cause i wrote this like literally 2 years ago. But it should be worth it cause its gonna get juicy, and i editted everything. Have fun with whats here now, and this time when i say im gonna finish im serious, i dont know how the endings gonna turn out though cause at this point im not too fond of Logan, but i havnt thought of anything i like better....itll be good though i promise, i also promise the heat will get much worse (especially since the heat fic has been done so many times, you might find this a little more..shall we say dramatic? maybe thats not the right word, watever read and find out) Reveiws are much appreciated, and they make your author happy. (i just referred to myself as an author, im such a douche)

Back:

ok picture this scene with fast music  
Manticore, 12:48PM

"You ready?" asked Brin.  
"Let's do it," said Max.  
As Brin led Max into the containment room she slipped her the key to the cuffs holding her hands together. They had been a little more trusting of Max since she stopped yelling out profanity every time they told her to do something and resisting them with every chance she got. That was her plan and they fell for it. She was now in a small metal room and instead of being strapped to a metal table like before, she only had handcuffs to hold her back. There was also only one door out now with a keycard lock on both the inside and out so the guards could unlock the door when they were inside with her. Brin had switched the stuff they planned on drugging Max with to tryptophan, so that wouldn't be a problem.  
As Brin walked down the hall she smiled -Its go time- she thought. She rounded the corner and turned on her charm to the superior officer standing at his post.  
"Hey..." she said in her sexiest voice, smiling seductively and pretending to survey him approvingly, "you willin' ta take a break"  
The man looked up and smiled when he saw Brin.  
"I'm not supposed to leave my post until 1:00" he replied as he looked her up and down and his smile spread.  
"You sure you can't make an exception fur me, i was planning on showing you a good time." She said twisting her body.  
"For you I'm sure i can sugar"  
"Lucky me." Rolling her eyes behind his back Brin pulled him into the closet they were standing next to, kneed him in the stomach and twisted his neck. Dusting her hands off as she walked out of the closet with a smile on her face she looked down at the key-card in her hand. "Men." She muttered as she walked down the hall as if nothing had happened. She then slipped the key card through a vent in the wall of the hallway with out slowing her pace.

Max undid her handcuffs and stood with her back against the wall, careful not to show her freed hands until the key card slipped through the vent behind her and right into her open palm. She then walked up to the video camera in the corner of the room. On the surveillance screen the guard saw Max smile into the lens before she kicked it out and it went static. Running to the door she quickly swiped the key card and headed away from the sound of soldiers racing towards the room. She knocked out an unsuspecting guard, picked up his radio and switched it to a secure channel. "You in"  
"Read'ja loud n' clear sis'" Came back Brin's voice. "You on you're mark"  
"Takin' him out as we speak." Said Max as she knocked out a young guard standing in front of the control room. She smiled as she found the guard inside asleep in his chair. Tapping him on the shoulder she punched him out as he turned around to see what was going on.  
"Third button on the left." Said Brin.  
"Ya' know I woulda figured that out." Max said as she tapped a couple things in the control keyboard and pressed the button.  
"Just tryin ta make ur job a little easyier." Said Brin "Whatever." Max said with a small smile.  
"What are you doing?" asked Brin.  
"Leavin our friends here a little surprise." She said as she finished typing something and pressed enter. She sat back in her chair for a second admiring the chaos she had just caused on the other side of the building through some surveillance cameras.  
"Nice work." Said Brin as a grouped of X6s rushed by her in the opposite direction "Thanks." She said as she walked out of the control room. "See ya in ten"  
"Right." said Brin and they both switch off their radios. Max took out another guard and hurried past a turn in the hallway. She then had to duck behind a corner to avoid being seen.  
After ten minutes of winding through the hallways they each walked out of a separate turn in a fork in the corridor, exchanged a sarcastic high-five and started down the hall side by side. "Hey, what took you so long?" Brin nagged. Max just gave her a glare but managed to still have a small smile on her face. Brin then she caulked a semi-automatic she was carrying and held another out for Max.  
"I don't do guns"  
"Right, the morally sacred killing machine would rather do it with her bare hands." Brin rolled her eyes, throwing the gun off to the side.  
When they reached the end of the hallway, instead of turning and continuing to follow it they both lepted through the window in front of them and rolled to a stop on top of a roof on the third level.  
They then flattened against a wall and Brin looked around the corner. Giving the signal for the clear they both began to run then jumped down into the back of a moving hummer. As it reached the edge of the fence and passed security they hopped out the back without being seen and began running in the dark through the woods.

4 Days Latter, Seattle, Washington 10PM

Brin pulled up in front of the Foggle Towers with an antsy Max in the passenger seat. She looked over at Max and let out a small laugh.  
"What's wrong with you?" she asked.  
"Its just... what if he has a girlfriend -or a wife.. for all I know he could have moved or something...I mean it has been almost a year..." she stuttered.  
"I don't get it, you make such a big deal outta this, then you worry your ass off about seeing him. I mean its not like he moved to Alaska, changed his name, and married some Eskimo." Brin said.  
"How do you know." Mumbled Max.  
Brin was starting to get annoyed but she was still keeping good humor.  
"Look, you're the one who knows him, besides don't you wanna' see him"  
"Of course I wanna see h"  
"Then getch ur ass outta this car, haul it up there and getchur man before I make you"  
Max smiled at her remark and opened the car door.  
-finally- thought Brin.  
"Ill be at Crash." she said.  
"Well your gonna be there a pretty long time." Max stated under her breath. Brin shook her head with a smile then floored it as soon as the door was closed.  
Max looked up at the Foggle Towers, sighed, and started to walk in.

Logan's Apartment: the sun is setting

Logan sat in his bed and awoke when he heard his bedroom door unlatch. His eyes widened and thoughts raced through his head, -assasin, loose end from last night's feild work, manticore-  
He sat up as the dark figure stepped into the light of the window.  
"Max?" he said in astonishment. She was dressed in her black catsuit and standing in the dim orange glow that the setting sun gave off.  
Logan stood up and raced toward her taking her in an embrace. They fell into a passionate kiss and the next thing he knew she had pushed him backwards on the bed. She hovered over him for a second straddling his waste with a sly smile on her face and then began to lick his bare chest.  
"Max..what are you...." his voice trailed off.  
She was hastily moving up his neck. When she reached his ear Logan got a confused expression on his face,  
"Max what.." As Max looked at him and barked loudly Logan's eyebrows went up in an amused expression, then he woke up.

Logan's Apartment, reality, 4:58AM

"Argh, Buzz..g-get off." Logan's Jack Russell stopped licking his face long enough to yelp.  
"What?" The dog barked again then darted off his bed and out of Logan's room. Logan barely had time to wipe his face before the dog hopped back on the bed with a leather leash clenched in-between his teeth, Buzz then barked again as well as he could without dropping it.  
"It's 5:00 in the morning." Logan stated looking the dog straight in the eye. Buzz just stared back at him and gave off another muffled bark.  
"Fine." Sighed Logan as he began to push himself out of bed and get a shirt.

Modern Looking Crowded Newspaper Building, 9:30AM

Logan sat in a swivel-chair in front of a red I-Mac with his head rested on his arm and papers scattered across his desk, and he began to drift off. He had earned himself a nice office on the second floor, which was really just a kind-of wide catwalk that overlooked the rest of the building, and had about 5 other offices on it who's front walls were all made out of foggy glass.  
Suddenly someone slapped his back and he jumped out of his trance.  
"Hey, sleepyhead wake up! Why do you get to sleep while we're off shitting out articles"  
Logan groaned in response to the female voice and sat up half heartedly.  
"Sorry Gale, I uh didnt get much sleep last night." He said as he turned around to face the good looking blonde who was his coworker.  
"Well just dont be snoozin when the boss is around, we wouldnt want you to have to sit through another one of his loud, boring lectures, specially when you're already tired"  
"Yeah, right I'll do that." He said wearily.  
"Jesus Cale how much sleep did you get last night"  
"Huh, uh i dont know Buzz woke me up early and i was up late too"  
"Well just dont fall asleep, I've gotta go finish this case... Oh yeah, here." She said slapping a folder of papers on his desk. "Our Eye's buddy found a lead on that government breading thing. John wants you to take a look at it, see what you can dig up"  
"Yeah sure whatever." -why do i have to make things so damn hard on myself at work, maybe i should only report my Eye's Only stuff once a month or something-  
"Oh and tonight your coming to Crash with me and Landen"  
"Crash"  
"Yeah Cale, it's a bar. With bear, oh and stools." She said sarcastically.  
"I know Gale, I've been to Crash before"  
"What when you were 18? Or was it in some messed alternate universe"  
"Look i cant go tonight ok" he said ignoring her.  
"Too bad I'm gonna make you. Seriously Logan you need to get out. Do you realize that in the 7 months I've known you I've only heard you laugh once"  
"I've got my reasons, besides not tonight. I'll go tomorrow"  
"Whyy?"she asked in an annoyed way.  
"Personal reasons. I just cant come tonight.-Today was his and Max's second anniversary and he couldnt go out, he'd have to get drunk at home by himself instead-  
"Oh Mr. Mysterious Logan, can't have fun so he's got to bury himself in his work." She joked.  
He just looked at her.  
"Argh, fine. But if you dont go tomorrow I'm gonna come over there and throw you out the window." She said as she headed out the door. 


	2. Unconscious

orig. A/N: Hey guys thanks for the good reviews, I thought of this before Asha and the season premier (yes i know it took me forever to write it, but i do think of a bunch of new fanfic ideas a day so bear with me here) so Gale isn't a copy of Asha and she isnt really anything like her, except she kinda wants Logan (but she's not in love with him or anything) and shes not really supposed to look like Asha either so please read it and tell me wacha think, thanks : )

Capter 2:

Foggle Towers, Seattle, around 10PM

Max made her way up to the Penthouse in the towers. She wanted to get up there as fast as she could but the fucking brown-out had knocked the elevators out of wack. She couldnt shake the nervous feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, she didnt get that too often, and it was freakin annoying. -If Logan's got some chick all over him someone's gonna get their ass kicked- she thought to herself, (Common Max, he's got every right to have someone else. He thinks you're dead, its been almost a year, and he's incredibly sexy.) She smiled at the last part of her thoughts. (There just better be no god damn Eskimo.) Max made it up to the top floor. Her heart started beating faster when she saw his door. Then she realized something was wrong. (Oh shit, that's not just a nervous feeling, I'm starting to have a seizure. Shit, what do I do. Lets see, no tryptohan, Brin at Crash... shit. Wait Logan's got tryptophan, no he doesn't Max you're dead remember, he'd have no use for it. Wait I dont want to see Logan after a year while I'm having a seizure it would take all the romance out of it, unless he's already slumming with his new wife anyway, shutup Max you're not helping.) Max began to feel the oncoming of her seizure as she slowly made her way to Logan's door clutching her side. Then it hit her harder and got worse.  
"Logan.." she whispered. "..help."

Penthouse, Foggle Towers, around 9:41PM

Logan sighed as he sat down at his table with his drink and looked out the window of his apartment. There were candles lit around the room because of the brown out. His thoughts wondered, (Wallowing sucks. I need icecream. no, icecream cant get you drunk so it'll only take my mind off Max for a second. Damnit... Max.) He looked up when he heard a knock at the door. (Shit.) He started to get up but before he could the door swung open and Gale staggered in holding up Landen who had a towel pressed against his head stained with blood.  
"Jesus criest what happened?" Logan said as he ran to help them out.  
"Sorry Logan, there was kindof a 'scuffle' at the bar and your place was the closest." said Gale as she sat Landen down on the couch with Logan's help.  
"Some drunken sleez came on to a brunet, she got pissed, a guy came over to tell the drunk to back off, the two guys started fighting, then both their friends came to help, it got kinda out of hand and somewhere inbetween a bar stool caught Landen in the forehead." she elaborated.  
"Agh, it hurt too." moaned Landen.  
"All this was over some creep?" Logan asked.  
"Hey, you mess with a girl's personal space and you better watch your ass." she replied.  
Logan sighed and pushed Landen back so he was lying down.  
"Keep pressure on that, I'll go get the first aid kit." he said, picking up Gale's hand and putting it on the towel on Landen's forehead.  
When Logan came back in a couple seconds Landen was out cold and Gale was inspecting his head.  
"How is it?" he asked.  
"It's not that bad, he's probably just out cause he's drunk." she said with a snicker.  
"Here." he handed her the first aid kit and went to get ice.  
"So what was the personal emergency that you missed all the action for?" she said, eyeing the drink on his table.  
"Nothing." "Hey, you ok?" she asked as she came over to the kitchen.  
"I'm fine"  
"You sure cause you dont seem fine"  
"I'm-- Logan was interrupted as the door unlatched. Logan's heart stopped (well not literally),his mouth opened, and his eyes widened -Max? oh my god, Max. Im drunk, or asleep..I'm dreaming, oh my god.- Max stood in the door leaning on the frame and clutching her side and she managed a quick smile through her gahsps when she saw Logan.  
"Logan." she half whispered. -Oh god im not dreaming, she's alive-  
"Max." he hurried over to where she now had her back against the door frame and was slowly sliding down it through her shakes.  
"Max ?"he said putting his hand on her face. She had already looked over at Gale and made as much of a shallow face as she could in her condition.  
"Seizure." she managed to stammer.  
"Its ok, you'll be ok"  
That was the last thing she heard as her vision blurred and she collapsed.  
-  
-  
"Logan what's going on?" Gale said as she came over to help.  
"Stay here I'll be right back." Logan commanded and rushed to look for tryptophan.  
He came back 30 seconds later, pushed a bag into Gale's hands and scooped Max up carrying her over to the other couch.  
"Logan what the hell is going on." she said following him.  
He held out his hand and she gave him the bag.  
"Ill explain later." he said shooting the needle of tryptophan into Max's arm.  
"Can I help?" she asked.  
"No its ok." Logan replied. When he finished he looked at Max and ran his hand along her cheek. After a couple seconds he looked back up at Gale and stood up, still in shock.  
"Is she gonna be ok?" she asked.  
"She should be fine"  
"Uh, who.. is she"  
Logan sighed and glanced at Landen who was still out cold.  
"Gale, um.. you might wanna sit down." 


	3. Return to Pleasure Island

z

Chapter 3:

Penthouse, Foggle Towers, 10:42PM

Gale sat back in Logan's computer chair, put her feet on his desk, her arms behind her head and sighed.  
"Gale, there's a lot about me that you dont know"  
"Obviously." She said with a nervous chuckle and gave him a sideways glance. Logan pulled a chair around and sat in it backwards facing her and running his fingers through his hair.  
"Im gonna explain everything to you, because i trust you, but i need you to promise me you wont tell anyone. Not even Landen"  
"You've got my word. So i guess there is more to the mysterious uptight Logan Cale"  
"Gale I'm Eyes Only." he stated flatly. Gale let out a muffled laugh, but when she looked up at him with a serious expression on his face her smile faded into a confused and slightly stunned expression.  
"Oh my god..." she looked into his eyes "you're...you're not kidding." she said becoming a little excited and not breaking the eye contact.  
"Oh my god you are." she said as she looked back in front of her and off into space.  
"Yo..you,...woh"  
"You ok?" he asked.  
"Yeah...Actually this explains a lot...uh, except for the unconscious girl in your living room"  
Logan's eyes shot back to his couch where Max still hadn't woken up yet.  
"I better check on her." he said, getting up and walking into his living room.  
"Logan..." Gale said hurrying in after him still seeking an explanation. He touched Max's face again and then felt her forehead.  
"What happened to her." she asked looking down at Max then back up at Logan.  
"You know the government breeding broadcasts I've been sending out, the ones you asked me to look into at work"  
"Well..yeah"  
"They've been genetically engineering humans and using them as advanced soldiers by brainwashing them and keeping them from the outside world"  
"So I've heard." Logan looked up at her.  
"What? I pay attention, I'm a reporter." she said in a joking voice. A smile tugged at Logan's lips as he stood up and looked at Gale.  
"Well this is Max. She escaped in '09. I'm in love with Max. She's died last year." he said as if he were educating an audience, and looked down at her.  
"She..wha..y-you..." she stuttered confused, "oh." her eyebrows went up like it suddenly dawned on her what was going on and she looked down at Max. "..ooohhhh" then she looked back up at Logan with her mouth slightly open. "Um..I'm gonna go now." Logan hid a smile at her comment and sudden realization, his smile remained as she went over to Landen and slapped him on the unwounded side of his head waking him up and whistling in his ear,  
"Common we're leaving." he moaned and rubbed his eyes.  
"Wha..what"  
"Get up Mr. Hangover time ta go." he moaned again and started to get up, still kind of unaware of his surroundings. Gale helped him up and threw his coat at him almost knocking him over since he was already pretty unstable. He grabbed it and began to follow her reluctantly looking around still trying to figure out exactly what was going on and where he was.  
Logan was kneeling by Max's side as she began to stir.  
"Hey Logan," Gale called back to him from the door, "talk to you tomorrow k?" she said smiling.  
"Yeah," he looked back up at her, "who knows maybe i'll make it to Crash." he said with a smile as she headed out the door pushing Landen ahead of her.  
Max shifted and let out a small sigh then slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a couple times to clear her vision.  
"Logan.." she whispered.  
"I'm here Max." he said holding back the happy tears that were building up inside of him from seeing her wake up.  
"Logan." she said relieved as she hugged him tightly and tears started to come down her face.  
"Shh, it's ok. You're here now, you're safe." She pulled out of the hug and looked it to his deep blue eyes. They looked at each other for a second and suddenly both of them pulled the other into a deep, passionate kiss.

Foggle Towers, Elevator

Gale was half way down the Tower in the elevator when she realized she forgot her jacket at Logan's.  
"Damnit." She said stopping the elevator -Normally I'd leave it, but it's freakin cold out and Logan's probably gonna be pretty occupied for the next couple of days-  
"Stay here," she told Landen, "Ill be back in a second I left my jacket. And if you puke while im gone you're walkin home." her response was a muffled groan from the corner of the elevator where Landen was leaning with his back against the wall.  
Gale stepped into the penthouse not bothering to shut the door since her jacket was on the chair right in front of her.  
"Hey I forgot my-" she stopped mid sentence when she saw what she had walked in on and smiled trying not to chuckle. -Well Ill just be taking this and getting out of here- she thought to herself, it was a good thing they were so involved in what they were doing because they hadn't heard her. -Ha, Logan's definitely not coming to work tomorrow.- she thought as she slipped out trying not to make any noise.

Logan pulled away from the kiss after about two minutes.  
"Air." he gasped. Both of them were panting.  
"Logan,...what about, that girl,..that was here before." she said between breaths.  
"Max she's just a friend"  
"Good cause she just saw us." Max said letting out a laugh. Logan smiled but it faded with his question.  
"Max, how"  
"Zack." she said in a wavy voice.  
"Manticore?" Max nodded.  
"Are you ok"  
"I am now." she said as they kissed again. 


	4. Out of Breath

Chapter 4:

Foggle Towers, Penthouse 10:54PM

"So what's with the 'friend'?" Max asked in between kisses. They couldn't keep their hands (and mouths) off each other long enough to talk.  
"Max ..she's just someone I work with" he said through gasps for air.  
"Work with?" she asked raising her brow.  
"Heh..Max I'm a reporter now"  
"So .. what was she here for then"  
"She was at crash and there was a fight, one of my other friends got hit in the head so"  
"Ah. and is this other friend a good-looking blonde who likes to stop by late at night too?" she interrupted sarcastically.  
"Max, he (he emphasized as he gave her a quick glare) was hit in the head with a bar stool so she took him here because it was the closest place"  
"Oh Logan you've changed." she said in a mocking voice ignoring the rest of what he said except for the 'he' part.  
"Are you even listening to me"  
"Sure I am, I multitask like there's no tomorrow remember? or has blondey rocked your world so much you forgot about me?" she wasn't serious, she was teasing him, but it was making him protest and she liked it, it showed he cared.  
"Max 'blondey's' name is Gale, and you're the only girl that rocks my world." he said with a smile. So did Max as she seemed satisfied at his remark and she leaned her head against his chest.  
"I missed you." she said closing her eyes.  
"Me too." he put his hand on her head.  
"So there was a fight at Crash?" Max asked after a pause without the least bit of a surprised tone.  
"Yeah, Gale said something about a girl and a drunk guy, why"  
"Wouldn't happen to be a brunette about my height in leather jacket and a red shirt would it? she asked twirling her finger on his chest without slowing the pace of her speech.  
"Pff, uh I think Gale said she was a brunette"  
"Brin." she stated as if she wasn't at all surprised.  
"What?" Logan asked now pulling her out in front of him to look at her in suprise.  
"Yeah it's ok Logan she's good now." her tone still hadn't changed from how relaxed it was.  
"She helped me get out. But she said she was going to Crash and i figured she wouldn't last four hours without getting into trouble. Normally id say she could take care of herself and we can go get jiggy with it, but its been a while since she's been out in the world and i better go check on her." Logan smiled at what she said and how she was managing to say everything in such a relaxed innocent voice.  
"But I don't wanna leave." she said disappointedly.  
"Ill come with you." he said and without hesitating scooped her up into his arms and got up to head to the door. Max's eyes widened briefly with surprise at his spontaneous act then she smiled.  
"Logan what are you doing?" she asked laughing.  
"I'm takin you to Crash." he said grabbing his jacket on the way out without dropping her. He carried her over to the elevator and set her down but she didn't let go of his neck and she pulled him into a kiss which deepened in about 4 seconds and Logan pressed the elevator button with his foot. The kiss began to get lustier and Max was up against the side of the elevator with her arms around his neck. Logan began to slip his hands up the hem of her shirt and she dropped her hands to his waste and began to undo the button of his jeans. The elevator dinged and the door opened when it reached it's destination. They pulled away gasping. "Woh.." she said still gasping. Max glanced up at him and let out a small laugh. "That was close." she said.  
"Right"  
"Yeah, but you might wanna zip your pants up first Cale"  
"That would be a good idea." He said laughing.  
"Common, if we hurry I'll give you a treat when we get back." she said slyly giving him a sexy look and letting her hand slide over his chest as she past him and slid out of the elevator.  
"Ooo, treat." he said with a smile following her.  
"Hey Max." he said catching up to her and sliding his arm around her waste steering her to a different direction than she was headed.  
"You're going the wrong way"  
"Huh?" she replied looking up at him.  
"But your car is over there"  
"Exactly." he said with a smug look. A confused expression crossed her face.  
"III've got a supriiise for yoouu." he said mockingly like a bragging 2nd grader.  
"What"  
"Follow me." he led her to a lump in the corner of the parking garage covered with a canvas tarp and pulled it off.  
"Oh my god my baby." Logn smiled, "I kinda borrowed your ride while you were gone." Max's eyes went up in an amused expression and then she smiled as if she was trying not to laugh.  
"What"  
"It's just, Logan on a motorcycle"  
"Well, i just happen to have one while i was in college"  
"Really?" Logan smiled and put on a pair of sleek sunglasses.  
She nearly burst out laughing.  
-  
-  
Logan wizzed through the streets like a pro, with Max hanging on to his waste.  
"Ok so i doubted you." She yelled over the engine.  
"Oh you've seen nothing." he joked and Max barely had time to smile before he popped the front wheel up and then skidded to a stop in front of Crash.  
"We're here." he stated casually with another smug half-smile. Max, stunned at his hidden skills took awhile to respond.  
"Holly Fuck." Logan couldn't help his smile widen at her comment as he got off and put out a hand like a limo chauffer to help her off and she looked up at him with the still amazed expression on her face.

In Crash a table or two were broken and there were splintered chairs and stools and a variety of glass and beer sprawled across the floor along with other things that had been caught in the cross fire of the fight. Brin was sitting on the bar with her feet on a stool talking to a guy with black hair that was leaning next to her with his back facing them. They were almost the only people in the dim lit place besides a few people that were having drinks at tables and the bartender whipping up the mess of glass and beer from the counter. There was music playing somewhere in the distance in the room. Max came up next to them and put her hands on her hips looking at Brin.  
"Uht-ooh." she said like a little kid who just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar when she saw Max.  
"I can't leave you alone for one minute without you causing a-" she stopped in the middle of her sentence when the guy, who up to then still had his back towards her, turned around. An extremely shocked, and partly terrified look spread across her face.  
"Rafer?!" 


	5. Ignorance is Bliss

Chapter 5:

Rafer stood looking at Max with his mouth open just as surprised as she was, both of them were frozen.  
"Hey you guys know each other?" Brin piped-in in a cheery casual voice. They both looked at her and turned back to one another at the same time.  
"Oh, you guys know each other." she said, suddenly realizing that was a bad thing.  
"Max what's goin on?" Logan asked.  
"W-wait a minute. You guys know each other?" Rafer asked looking between Max and Brin completely bewildered. Max started in putting her hands on her hips in an irritated way and raising her voice,  
"Yeah, we're kindof-" "sisters?" he breathed out and interrupted her. His mouth was slightly open and he was looking off into space in complete shock like her had just seen a ghost. Max and Brin were now also confused, and Max looked back and forth between Rafer and Brin,  
"How the hell did you-" she was interrupted again when Rafer snapped back into reality.  
"Holly fucking shit i am an idiot." he said. "I- you... what the hell is wrong with me.. why didn't I... oh my god." Then he looked at Max who was staring at him not knowing what the hell was going on, and when he look up at her "Ooh my god!" he said putting his hand on his head.  
"Rafer what hell is-" Max was interrupted by him again.  
"You guys wouldn't happen to have another sister named Jondy and a brother named Zack?" he asked in a small voice looking off into space again. Max's face went blank in a completely stunned expression.  
"Yeah that's what I thought." "Ok sorry, but seriously, how the hell did you know that." Brin said leaning over in between them. "Uh..heh...hey guys its your long lost brother Zane." 


	6. Ew, Not again?

Chapter 6: Again?

After a long pause staring at her new found brother with an open mouth Max managed to breath out,  
"what?" then realizing exactly what happened between them she repeated herself in a more (literally) fucked voice,  
"Whhat?!" she said desperately as she started freaking out.  
"Oh my god! Your Zane? Oh my god!" Brin said jumping up and hugging him. But Rafer was still in shock over finding out that his past quickie partner was his 'sister.  
"No...n na na na no..y-you....how..." Max tried to process, fidgeting.  
"Max what's wrong? Isn't that a good thing?" Logan asked, addressing her reaction.  
"I.. he....I mean.. I was in heat." She said exasperatedly giving him an answer and defending herself from her own conscience.  
"She was in heat." Rafer said agreeing and offering himself condolence. As soon as Max said it Logan's eyes widened.  
"Oh, god." he said."So- hes..?" "Uhh.... yeah..." she replied knowing what he meant.  
"W-well I mean, its not that..bad. Because..technically...well we're not actually related...right?" Rafer stated nervously.  
"Y-Yeah...uh..cause you know Zack, and I considered him my big brother...I mean its not like incest or any-...uh oh." Max interrupted herself and a different "oh shit' look spread across her face, she was kind of out of breath from her shock but her breathing was getting heavier. "NO"  
"What?" Logan asked, still worried about seizures.  
Max started to back away from them with a nervous look glancing back and forth between the two of them.  
"Brin.........Briiiiiiinn.." she said getting more nervous by the second and still glancing between the two guys, grabbing at her sisters arm.  
"Max what's-" Brin didnt have time to finish her sentence before Max yanked hard on her arm and ran into the bathroom hallway dragging Brin with her. She let go of Brin's arm and looked in the direction they had came from even though there was a wall separating the locations. She was now seriously out of breath.  
"Max?! What the hell are you doing?" "I.. I didn't realize ..when-.... I thought"  
"What"  
"Heat." she breathed out, it was the only word Brin needed, to understand what was happening.  
"Wha-now?" Max nodded.  
"Shit! Wait a minute..you knew Rafer before. And you said.... oh no you did not." The guilty nervous face Max made told Brin her answer.  
"Oh my god"  
"Hello! Brin, seriously desperate transgenic in heat here"  
"Alright alright, we need to get you out of here before you screw your brother again"  
"Hey! Shutup..hes not really my"  
"Is there anyplace you can go where we won't run into the male species? I mean in your circumstances i wouldn't exactly recommend a hotel"  
"I"  
"Wait did you bang it with lover boy yet? Go back with him you guys can have a jolly good ol' reunion and you can stay out of trouble"  
"Brin i ca-" she stopped when she saw a descent looking blonde guy walk past them from the guy's bathrooms. When she saw him she smiled and followed him with her eyes making an obvious point of checking out his ass. She moved forward to follow him but Brin pushed her back up against the wall.  
"Hey! Don't make me smack you. You better get over there before you get ...rmhm-sidetracked?" she said clearing her throat on purpose.  
Max snapped out of her trance and got the same fidgety anxious vibe she had in the car when Brin dropped her off at the Foggle Towers.  
"Brin its not..that easy. I mean i cant just...we haven't.." Brin smirked.  
"Ooh, you haven't hit it with him yet and you don't want the first time to be wild, crazy and incoherent of thought"  
"I didn't say that," Max said with a suggestive smile "I just don't want it to be while I'm in heat. Yah know, it's not me"  
"Alright, then..where can we go"  
"Cindy!" 


	7. Rising Heat

Chapter 7:

"Saywha?" "Oh my god i havnt seen her in so long"  
"What? Who"  
"Max." Logan leaned over the corner of the hall. "What's going on"  
Max's eyes dilated as she looked up at him, but they started to head south as her train of thought changed.  
"Hm. I-think-I'm-going-to-go-to-the-bathroom." Brin said in a robotic voice that all too bluntly suggested it wasn't true. "C'ya Max." She said with a slight devilish grin.  
"Bri-," Max tryed to spin around and grab her before she ducked into the door they were standing next to, with no success.  
"Brin!" She said desperately, but the door had already shut and she heard it lock. She spun around to where Logan was standing. Her lips were pulled in and she had an extremely worried look on her face. Logan started to step into the hall towards her.  
"Are you o-" "Stop!" She blurted out.  
"Wha-"he was interrupted again "Ihh-I..I'm.." Her tone changed quickly from anxiety to arousal and her gaze was quickly shifting down again.  
"Max." He said snapping her out of the trance she was falling into.  
"Wha..uh..I"  
"Are you ok"  
"No." she stated flattly. Just then Rafer walked up behind Logan casually.  
"Hey Max where'd you g-hh...hho." His breath hitched and he stared at her. She looked up at him and a sly smile crossed her face as their eyes locked and her hormones started to react with her fellow X5's.  
"Woohh. Ok time ta go." Brin jumped in as she swung the bathroom door open and grabbed Max without hesitating. She had obviously been listening the whole time. She dragged Max behind her, who was shifting so that she didn't break the suggestive stare between her and Rafer, who were both smiling seductively. Logan, never having seen Max in heat before around other guys, still had no idea what was going on.  
"I'm takin you outa here right now." Brin said. Now at the door Max decided to stop struggling and instead focused on what was in front of her.  
"Ooo, vibratey.." she said with a childish smile looking at her bike.  
"Logan we're takin' the car!" Brin yelled back, then yanked Max by the arm, opened the passenger door to the car they had stolen a couple days ago, pushed Max in, and closed the door again before she even had time to protest. She hopped in the driver's seat just as fast.  
"Ok where's this Cindy?" She pressed the auto-lock button on the car just as Max shifted to get out.  
"Max?" Max looked back at her and crossed her arms disappointedly.  
"Two blocks down the street, make a right it's on the left"  
"Max that's a strip club"  
"How the hell did you know that?" She looked over at Brin surprised.  
"Let's just say I went exploring while you were at Logan's." She smirked.  
"Damnit." Max said, resting her head on her hand.  
"It's on Fullon Street. 49 in the run down apartment building." Replied a defeated Max. Brin started the car and sped off towards Fullon.

Crash  
"What exactly just happened here?" A confused Logan asked. He was also disappointed, after all, he hadn't seen Max in almost a year and it was their anniversary.  
"um...what.?" Zane was still pretty out of breath and not really back to reality yet.  
"Ok, no seriously. What the hell is going on"

Stollen Car  
Brin glanced over at Max a couple times, who was very flustered and furiously taping on the side of the car.  
"You alright"  
"hhNohh.." Max seemed to have adopted a problem with breathing. Brin sighed.  
"Stupid manicore people have to go and ruin all my fun." Brin mumbled under her breath, but of course Max heard it.  
"Your fun?! Hello! I'm the one who's friends think she's dead and hasn't seen them in 12 months remember"  
"Ok, ok, you win. Jeez chill." "Sorry I'm freakin out here!" she said much more calmly. Max took a deep breath and picked up a half-full diet pepsi can from the car's cup holder. "How the hell can this heat get so bad so fast?" she asked, to no one unparticular.  
"I guess it gets worse each time"  
"Well then what the hell is gonna happen to me when I'm 30, am i gonna fucking explode or something?!" Brin let out a small chuckle but you could tell she was trying to keep from laughing because of Max's mood. She was pretty sure Max would kick her really hard if she laughed out loud.  
"Well it has to have a climax or something." Max's breath hitched and she choked on her soda almost spitting it out. She glanced over at Brin with wide eyes and a slight shortage of breath.  
"God this is sooo not what i need to be talking about right now. Brin I'm in heat. Pleeaassee don't use words like that." she said and took another sip of the soda. "Ugh! Why the hell am I drinking this it's disgusting and..warm." she said disgustedly chucking the can back into the cup holder with her thumb and finger. Brin was now having a very difficult time keeping from laughing.  
"Shutup! We're here." Brin jammed the breaks down and the car jolted causing Max to let out a small gasp that wasn't of surprise. She regained her composure and glanced quickly around nervously.  
"Don't..do that either." she said in a small voice. Brin raised an eyebrow at Max and they both began to get out on the car.

Crash  
"Oh shit." Logan said. They were sitting back down at the bar, well Logan was sitting anyway.  
"Yeah." There was a pause "So are you two like..an item?" Zane asked, leaning against the bar.  
"Uh..i guess you could say that. Wait but then why the hell did she just go out there with Brin"  
"Dont worry, Brin'll take care of her. She's family." Logan shuttered remembering that this was the guy Max was near tears about a year ago.  
"W-well, not..real family. I mean we're not related, she's like family...sortof. I mean Zack-" he caught himself and didn't finish his sentence.  
"What about Zack?" Logan asked. Zane couldn't know he was dead, unless he was in contact with Krit or Syle, and even they thought he was just stuck in manticore. But then they would have told Max before that Zane was in Seatle and he would have helped with the attack. So why did he not want to talk about Zack?  
"Uh-he..he um.." Then he realized something. "Wait what was Max talking about earlier when she said you know with Zack, and I considered him my big brother?" Rafer quoted Max's exact words from before that Logan didn't even remember she mentioned until now. -Well he is a genetically engineered superhuman with a beyond photographic memory. Ok why does he look so worried?- Logan thought.  
"Oh, um, its nothing"  
"They weren't um like doing anything were they? I mean they weren't..." his voice trailed off.  
"What's wrong Zane you got a thing for Zack?" Logan said with a sarcastic smile.-Hes probably just worried about the incest thing..or jealous. Damn him for taking advantage of her, i'll have a talk with him about that-  
"Logan, that's your name right?, I'm serious, what did they do"  
"Well i don't think they did anything, but now that your acting like this your starting to make me wonder, I mean they were at the cabin together.. If Zack-" bad thoughts were starting to form in his mind about Zack but he dismissed them -He died for her Cale respect him for that.- and it's not like he didn't, his whole attitude towards Zack changed when Max told him what happened, he just didn't like the idea of Max getting laid by two of her brothers, once after their first kiss and the other on their anniversary, -Logan you are way jumping to conclusions, there's no way they did anything, she came back didn't she-  
"Logan!" he was pulled out of his thoughts by Zane.  
"Are you sure or are you not kidding"  
"They never did anything Zane"  
"Thank god." he said with a sigh obviously immensely relieved.  
"Why? I mean you don't really have a thing for Zack right?" Logan said with a little smile and took another sip of his beer.  
"I-It's just"  
"Oh my god you do!" Logan stated in triumph even though he knew it wasn't true.  
"Noo!" he sighed again. "Zack, had um, this thing with one of our sisters." He ran his hand through his hair and took a very long sip of his beer. Logan put down his beer a little louder than he intended to and looked up at Zane in surprise.  
"Which one?" he asked furrowing his eyebrows. Zane glanced up at him then down at his beer.  
"Jondy." He said drinking some more. Logan stopped in the middle of a sip of his beer with glass tilted already. He looked back over at Zane again and put his beer back down, his mouth was slightly hanging open.  
"What"  
"Yeah. They were pretty into each other. I mean they had their moments, a lot of them, cause you know how Zack's always running off to fight the fight and do the good, and occasionally interfere with one of his siblings lives. Well he didn't come back once when he promised he would. Broke Jondey's heart. For a second there i thought he might of.. i don't know"  
"Woah. Um, i don't think he ran out on her Zane." Zane looked up from his beer at Logan.  
"He was stuck in manticore, a while ago, long story, but he did that amnesia thingy to forget everyone's stats so he wouldn't get brainwashed and givem away. When he got out he couldnt remember much about you guys"  
"Oh"  
"Well, he remembered where you guys lived and that she worked at a bar and that you had a dog or something." "Bukes!" Zane smiled and Logan gave him a weird look.  
"I left her with with Jondey to keep her company while I was gone." he said with pride in his voice.  
"Why did you come to Seattle"  
"Well me and Zack didn't really get along so great. And after what he did to..what happend with Jondey, you can imagine i was pretty pissed off. I mean he was always telling everyone how to live their lives and stuff and he almost kicked my ass cause i was going to medical school. You'd think he'd be happy that we'd have a trained medic we could trust but no he haad to go and"  
"Zane." Logan interrupted him to get him back to the subject.  
"Sorry, well anyway. Oh and I've been using an alias cause of this close call i had with manticore. But I was extremely Pissed that he screwed with my sis' like that so i stayed with her in SanFransisco for a while and tried to find Zack. There was this thing i found that led me here but i haven't found him yet. Bastard"  
"Up until a couple hours ago you'd be my new best friend"  
"What? Where the hell is he anyway?" Logan sighed, he wasn't planning on breaking really bad news to anyone tonight.  
"Zane, a little while ago he got a bunch of you guys together for an attack on manticore's genetics lab, cause they killed Tinga." Zane almost fell off his chair. -Damnit i forgot he didn't know about that- Logan thought.  
"It worked ok, cause we had Lydecker on our side, they double crossed him cause he actually cared if u guys died. But um, on the way out there were some X7s we weren't planning on. They got him and Max. Max was shot in the heart and she was gonna die without a transplant but he..." His voice trailed off. Zanes head was hanging down between his hands that were propped up on the bar.  
"Logan.I get it." There was a pause.  
"Max escaped a couple days ago with Brin and she just came back to Seatle tonight." Zane looked up at him pretty flustered, you could tell he was holding tears in.  
"Thanks man. Im gonna uh, see if i can get a hold of Jondey." he said sliding off his seat and setting off towards the pay phones near the bathrooms.

Max's Apartment Building  
Brin slammed the car door shut and stood up looking over to the passenger side.  
"So who exactly is..." Max wasn't there.  
"Max?!" Then she saw her making her way over to a guy that was just stepping into the apartment building. Brin got to her before she could give the guy a heart attack by sneaking up behind him. "Max." Brin grabbed her arm and Max spun around letting out a small yelp of surprise.  
"What the hell happened to your stealth hearing." "Disappears when you're this preoccupied i guess." she said shrugging then she smiled a whirled around back to where the good looking dirty-blonde was standing looking through his mail. But Brin still had hold of her arm and yanked her back almost throwing her off balance. By then the guy was inside and stepping into the elevator.  
"Common, we're takin' the stairs." Brin said. Max sighed disappointedly and followed Brin, who still had a vice grip on her arm, after her hopes were shattered by the dinging of the elevator as it closed.  
"Hey if we hurry we can catch him." she said hopefully.  
"Don't count on it sis'." Dont count on it sis' Max mouthed with an expression behind Brin.  
"Hey! Cut that out!" Brin said like she had eyes in the back of her head. Max just did it again and smiled satisfied with herself. When they reached the fifth floor, Brin was in a hurry to get Max to safety, they arrived as the blonde, who just happened to live on the same floor, started walking down the hallway. Max followed him without hesitation like that had been her destination all along but she jolted back again forgetting she was still attached to Brin.  
"Hah." Brin said in her face with a smile. Max just frowned and mimicked her again. Brin dragged her all the way down the hallway, in the opposite direction, to apartment #49.  
"So tell me who Cindy is"  
"Old roomate. Good friend." Max said. Brin knocked on the door but nothing happend. So she waited a second and knocked again.  
"Hold your shit I'm coming!" cried a muffled voice from inside. Brin knocked again because it was getting very hard to keep Max from bolting down the hallway to where the very slow guy was fumbling with the keys to his apartment. "Wait a fucking minute, I'm coming bitch!" Cindy returned. Max suddenly realized why they were here when she heard Cindy's voice and she forgot about the guy. Instead she decided to pounce to the door and nearly jolt the knob off.  
The door, which happened to be unlocked, swung open and Max smiled when she saw Cindy making her way over to it in a robe with a cup of coffee in her hand. She looked extremely pissed and like she had just been woken up. But when Cindy saw Max the mug fell from her hand and broke on the floor and Cindy's jaw dropped. Max smiled wider.  
"You know you guys really have to stop breaking things when you see me. I swear, i still have a piece of glass stuck in my foot from Logan's." She said sarcastically. Cindy didnt even move. She just stood there staring at Max.  
"Uh..OC?" Max said starting to get worried that she hadn't moved yet. She started walking in towards her.  
"Hollyfuckinshit.." Cindy said smiling and letting out a breath she had probably been holding since the coffee fell out of her hand.  
"..it's ma' boo!" They hugged each other. Then Cindy pushed her playfully and started hitting her between words.  
"What. The Hell. Is. Wrong with. You." Max stood there smiling.  
"You ever do that again and i dont care if you're freaking 23rd century Xena wid a tatoo'd neck, I'm puttin' the smack down on that booty!" She took a breath, "Now where the hell av' ya been boo?" she said calmly "N who's dat?" She asked pointing to Brin who had stepped in and locked the door behind her to slow down Max incase she went into fuck-mode again.  
"That's Brin." Brin gave a little smile and lifted her hand as a gesture of a wave.  
"Sista' a yours"  
"Yup"  
"Ain't she the hardass one"  
"Hey I was brainwashed then when i kicked Max's ass." Brin said to her own rescue.  
"And you also had half a years recent military training." Max came back at the kicking of ass part.  
"What you think you can take me now Maxie?" Brin challenged.  
"Hell yeah!" Max returned turning around to face her.  
"Let's see you try!" Brin encouraged.  
"Unfortunately i need you conscious to keep me from running out and finding a fuck buddy!" Max countered.  
"Woh, woh, calm down ma' bitches." Original Cindy stepped between the two of them and put her hands up.  
"Now you can work this sibling rivalry shit out on ya own time k?" She said. Both the X5s were smirking at one another. Max stuck out her tongue and Brin countered.  
"Hey! Don't make me get out a hose! Now wha's this shit about a fuck buddy? You in heat again boo?" Max made a final face at Brin then turned to Cindy and nodded.  
"MmHmm, and you pissed cause ya wana shak up wid Mr. Clark Kent rolly boy but it's ur anniversary and you two avnt made puppy love yet?" Max nodded again.  
"Woh. You're good." Brin said.  
"Thas' wat OC does. Now c'mon boo lez get u sumthin cold ta drink n' u tell me wat the hell 'apnd. Girl you might wanna lock the door there case she gets a little antsy." she said to Brin.  
"Way ahead of ya." Brin said.  
"Fuck. You fast girl"  
"Cindy, please dont say that word." Max said starting to get affected by the heat again.  
"What? Fast?" Cindy asked obliviously. Max blinked at her.  
"You havnt changed much." she said, shaking her head and smiling.

Crash

"Logan! What the hell are you doing here?" Logan spun around and smiled when he saw a cheery Gale.  
"Hey Gale"  
"Helloo..shouldn't you be, lets see, at home? with, Max?" she told him like he had forgotten where he was supposed to be and gone to Crash by accident.  
"Ah, long story." He said "Wow. She dumped you already? Logan I knew you were boring but not that boring." she said sarcastically and plopped down next to him. Logan responded with an unenthusiastic smile.  
"Noo, she didn't dump me. And we were actually technically never going out." She furrowed her eyebrows and started popping nuts from a bowl at the bar in her mouth and chewing them noisily.  
"So what, you guys are like, married?" she joked between nuts. Logan rolled his eyes.  
"No, we just"  
"Well you..i mean you"  
"Yeah"  
"Does she"  
"I dont..know.. i mean she.. i dont know if she"  
"So you guys never"  
"No"  
"Why not"  
"Um because...well..its not like.. i mean... ok we were stupid." -I hope she's talking about the same thing i am..- Logan thought to himself suddenly realizing none of them finished any of their sentences or used the word love.  
"Well there ya go." she said and continued eating her nuts then tried to catch one in her mouth. She missed by about a foot and the nut flew over her shoulder, she looked over her shoulder then in front of her and started eating the nuts again.  
"So. What are you doing here"  
"Well Landen's safe at his apartment blowing chunks. So i decided to come down here and see if i could find the jackass that nailed him in the face, so i could whomp his ass, but it looks like I'm a little late"  
"No you weren't"  
"I know, I was just bored and I've had way too much coffee and beer today to get to sleep but there's no one here. hey wait a minute, you never answered my question"  
"What question"  
"The one where i asked you: What the hell are you doing here"  
"Yeah i did i said it was a long story"  
"I'm not going anywhere, remember, the coffee and the beer, plus I'm running on adrenaline cause i was up til 4:00 last night working on that article." Logan stared at her, she was talking crazy fast.  
"Exactly how many cups of coffee did you have"  
"Let see.." It took her a second of deep thought before she reached an answer.  
"abouutt..eight if you don't include the ones that were half sugar and chocolate syrup or the Frappuccinos, the it would be maybe 15"  
"Jesus Christ! You're gonna like..die"  
"Ha! Of what"  
"I dont know.. caffeine overdose or something"  
"No such thing"  
"Well careful cause I don't want any extra work at the office"  
"Hey!" she punched him in the arm playfully.  
"So seriously what happened with Max, did u guys get in a fight and you came here to wallow in your beer"  
"No"  
"Oh. Did she get abducted by aliens"  
"No"  
"Did she get sucked into a time warp and lost in a different dimension"  
"No"  
"Am I getting close"  
"Nope"  
"Are you gonna tell me or am I gonna have ta keep guessing cause i could go all night." Logan smiled.  
"Ok well, um..how do i explain this"  
"Well i wont know how to explain it till you tell me what it is"  
"But i cant tell you what it is until i figure out how to explain it"  
"Quit stalling or I'll punch you again"  
"Fine"  
"So"  
"Ok well Max.. has feline DNA right"  
"Ok"  
"Well have you ever had a female cat"  
"No but I had a guy cat named Mr. Wiggles, he climbed out my window and up a tree and fell out"  
"Really"  
"No. But i did have a guy cat named Cinnamon"  
"Did he fall out of a tree too"  
"Your stalling again"  
"You're the one that brought it up"  
"No I'm not you asked me if I had a cat, and then I said I had one named Mr. Wiggles who fell out of a tree and then you said really? and i said no but i had a"  
"Gale"  
"What"  
"Whoever gave you caffeine should be shot"  
"Aww poor Mr. Columbian Guy With a Mustache and a Donkey"  
"Gale"  
"Yeah"  
"Shutup"  
"Ok"  
"Ok, so Max has feline DNA"  
"Yeah I got that part"  
"And..female cats have these cycles"  
"Like a washing machine"  
"Are you trying to be annoying now"  
"Yes"  
"Stop"  
"Do I have to"  
"Yes"  
"Ok"  
"Where was I"  
"Washing machines"  
"No. Female cats. They have these cycles"  
"Like"  
"No"  
"Ok"  
"They.. go into um, heat. You know like..mating cycles." Gale raised her eyebrow in surprise.  
"Ha! That shut you up!" he said.  
"Are you serious"  
"Yeah"  
"So Max is, like having a ..mmating thing"  
"Where she tries to jump every half decent guy she sees? Yeah"  
"Damn. That's gotta suck"  
"Wait but why isnt she with you?" He looked up at her about to give a long explanation about what happened tonight when Zane walked up behind them.  
"Logan." Zane said he looked over at Gale questioningly.  
"Problems." he said in the same voice. Logan nodded towards Gale.  
"Its alright." Zane glanced at her again then continued.  
"Jondy's not answering"  
"So she's probly just out"  
"Logan, I tryed six times"  
"Ok, well she's probably just out. I mean you guys dont really sleep so she's probly doing something"  
"See normally, I'd agree with you. But she hasn't been answering all day"  
"Or..yesterday." he added.  
"Well dont you think she could have gone somewhere to unwind." Zane shifted kind of nervously realizing he was overreacting.  
"Maybe she met a guy." Gale piped in noticing she wasn't getting any attention. Zane gave her a look and gestured towards her.  
"Wha..what is she..does she even know who"  
"Ignore her, she's crazy." Logan said, ignoring her. Gale slapped the back of his head and glared at him, Logan tried to keep from smirking.  
"Look, Zane, I'm sure she's fine. If you're so worried why don't call Kritt or Syle and see if they know where she went or if they can check up on her or something." Logan said ignoring Gale again. Zane stared at him obviously surprised.  
"Wha-What"  
"Just call someone else, see if they know where she went"  
"See, I don't think that would work too well considering the fact that up until now i didnt even know they made it out"  
"Oh"  
"Its just that I haven't really talked to her in a couple of months and that's why i called her the other day"  
"So we'll get Max to give you their contacts n you can call them and see if..oh yeah that wont work cause"  
"Logan shutup." Zane cut him off.  
"What"  
"Ok I have feline hormones too here"  
"Zanne..is there something you're trying to tell me?" Logan said with a completely strait face even though he was kidding.  
"I mean I knew they did experiments with you back there but..." Zane glared at him and punched him in the arm.  
"Ow. Why is everyone punching me tonight"  
"Hi I'm Gale." Gale said reaching out across Logan to Zane and shaking his hand ignoring Logan.  
"Zane. I'm uh, gonna go. I got some stuff to deal with." Logan thought he probably needed some time to take in all the news.  
"Okay. Um..you know..where to reach Max?" Logan asked. Zane hesitated.  
"Uh...shhee knows..where to find me." He said nervously and slapped some money down on the bar.  
"See ya around"  
"Yeah"

Max's Apartment  
"Daaamn." Original Cindy said, leaning back on the couch with Max next to her. Brin had left Max in Cindy's hands to go out and find Zane so she could figure out what was up with him. Max had told Cindy about what happened with Zack and everything since then. She was extremely busy now trying to occupy herself from her own thoughts. When she started talking about Zack with Original Cindy she kept getting unwanted day dreams about him. Max jumped up quickly all of the sudden.  
"Um.. its hot in here"  
"Wa's da matta boo? Heat gotcha down? cause it aint hot in here." Max nodded.  
"Want OC ta getcha sum wata"  
"Actually I think, ill just, um, take a shower"  
"'Least we dont hav'ta worry bout hot water"

Zane pulled up infront of Max's apartment building. His original destination was his own apartment but for some reason that wasnt where he ended up. some images flashed in his mind and it was all the encouragement that he needed. He shut off his bike and started toward the apartment.

------

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	8. Start It Up

**Chapter 8**

Seatle 11:56

Brin made her way out of the run down apartment building and into her stolen car. -sigh- so much drama. really, compared to manticore, i swear if tonight gets any worse i might just have a seizure. wait a minute, that was Zane's bike..

This time she sighed out loud.

Brin shifted the car into reverse and backed up right next to where Zane had parked his bike.

"Oh no, I don't think so." She said walking up behind him and slapping her hand on his shoulder to wheal him around. But instead he screamed and ducked out of her reach.

"DAhh!"

"Ahh!" Brin screamed back at him surprised that he hadn't noticed her behind him until now.

"What the hell are you doing here Zane!"

"I don't know, what the hell am i doing here?!"

"I'm not letting you go in there after Max!"

"Good don't!"

"Okay!"

"Why are we yelling?!"

"I don't know!" Brin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go." she grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him towards the car.

"But- my bike.."

"Leave it." She said chucking him in the car and slamming the door shut.

Foggle Towers, Penthouse 11:57   -Urgh this sucks!- Logan had made his way home and was now trying to find something to do with himself. He really just wanted to see Max and was starting to not care that she was in heat. He was just about to cook something to waste time when his door swung open and a sullen faced man walked into his apartment.

"Oh my god." was all Logan could say.

"I need your help. I don't really have anywhere else to be anyway."

"How the hell.."

"I got out."

Apartment 12:01

"Ciinddeee" Max whined from the bathroom. She walked out and leaned on the wall next to the kitchen where Cindy was pouring a new cup of coffee.

"Why isnt the water working?"

"Cause we livin in a dumped n' broken apartment building n' ya cant count on 'nothin. Sorry boo." Max groaned. She collapsed on the couch and buried her head under some pillows.

"Iyy want some ass." she whined.

"Psh, don't we all," Max looked up at her as she walked back into the room in the process of changing, which was only halfway done. "damnit I need a shirt." she said shuffling through a pile of dirty laundry. Max's eyes drifted down her front.

"You been workin out?"

"Wah?" scowling at Max quizzically.

"AHH Cindy put you're shirt back on!" she demanded and stuffing her face back into the pillows. Throwing a shirt on Cindy stared at Max in disbelief.

"What?! Damn- Max you did not just- Jesus-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up shut up.." her face was still buried, muffling her words. Cindy reached for her coffee like it was a shot glass.

The door suddenly burst open and a blonde wearing a long poofy-necked jacket and carrying grocery bags and a huge purse, shrieked and slammed it closed with her foot.

"You are never going to guess what happened tonight!" Kendra beamed at Cindy who was leaning against the wall in the kitchen smirking.

"Remember Erik?!" she grinned leaning over a little like she was building up suspense.

"Did he die?" Cindy inquired cheerily.

"Umm..no." Kendra's smile turned into a puzzled scowl.

"I win." Cindy jerked her head towards Max who had sat bolt upright when Kendra came in and seemed to have forgotten her current issues. Kendra slowly looked over at the couch and dropped everything in her hands to the floor. Her eyes widened like she was looking at a ghost.

"Kendra!" Max dove off the couch and practically tackled her stunned friend.

"Wha..wha..wahdashit…MAXx!" her voice cracked and she jumped up and down.

"Whe- what the helll.. you're dead!.." Kendra pulled her back and poked her hard in the shoulder. "..no you're not!.." she shrieked again. "where the fuck have you been?! She said you got shot." throwing her hand out toward Cindy.

"I di-"

"I bet you kicked their ass didn't you. Ooo lemme see the barcode." Max stared at her.

"What? Cindyy.." She turned her head toward Cindy who looked the other way trying to seem innocent.

"heh.. what's shakin…. oh c'mon Max I couldn't lie to _her, _not after you..died"

"Don't worry Maxie your secrets safe with me. But seriously you were dead."

"Got a new heart. Got stuck in hell."

"But what happened? You're here now."

"Didn't like the company. Ditched out." Kendra smiled and hugged her again.

"Oh my god! Okay so OC you'll never guess who I bumped into at Crash after you left."

"Really." she said sarcastically.

"Erik! and- oh um Max, is it okay, I uh kinda hooked up with him."

"Why wouldn't it be? Wait what happened to _Walter_, and since when were you buying Cindy groceries?"

"Oh um he kindof had a psychotic ex-wife, and a uh toothbrush fetish. And I've been rooming with Cindy till I finish fixing up the place I found down the street."

"I warned you 'bout the geezer."

"Erik!," Kendra piped in to re-direct the lost subject. "So I recognized him and we started talking, and he didn't know you uh died. So I told him about it and then I got all sad, and I ended up going back to his place."

"Ew! Kendra he's a moron."

"Oh c'mon Max, he's a little slow but he's really sweet, and god he's great in bed, I mean you would know."

"Nothing happe-" She interrupted herself to turn towards the wall and started looking around at empty space.

"Uh oh." said Cindy

"What? What's she doing? Does she always do this? Its part of the superhuman thing right, does she have like a Spidey-Sense?"

"Not 'zactly. Da boo in heat." Cindy grabbed Max by the arm and started pulling her back toward the couch.

"But there's a-"

"You ain't goin' nowhere suga."

"Heat?" Kendra looked confused again.

"Remember Erik." Cindy said matter-of-factly as she pushed Max onto the couch.

"Wait so Max gets all humpy like dogs and cats?"

"Kay?" came a muffled voice from outside

"uh oh." Kendra ran toward the door but Max was already on her feet.

"Kendra!" cried Cindy trying to pull Max toward the kitchen.

"Wha' da fuh'! You brought him here?"

"I'm sorry I didn't know!" She cracked the door open as Max fought to get to the it, "You gotta go away." Kendra told him.

"What? What's goin' on you said you'd be right back." Erik tried to poke his head in but she was shooing him away. "Max? What? You said.."

"I know, I know I'll explain later but you gotta leave."

"Kendra get 'im outta here!" Cindy yelled still trying to cling to Max.

"C'mon let's go." Kendra grabbed him and slammed the door shut behind her, but poked her head in a second later to air-kiss Max goodbye.

"Hey would you cut it out!" Cindy scolded and stomped on Max's foot.

"Ow. Sorry."

"That was close."


End file.
